Together Always
A Cat's Cradle
Author's Note: Interestingly enough, I had two chapter ideas (the second came later) but then I decided to combine both to mix few things. We'll get a look into Sakaki's early days at the clinic as well an outlook on the October season if you get the meaning
"Hey, does this look right to you?"
"Hmm?" I looked up from my pile of papers on the table. "What, Kitagawa?"
Our apartment neighbor was lying upside down on the old couch, fiddling with a colorful string in her hands.
"I just can't seem to get this cat's cradle to work…" she huffed, near to the point of toppling out of her seat as she struggled with her game.
I exhaled deeply, putting down my pencil. I walked over to her where I showed her the proper way to do it.
"There," I said as she exclaimed with glee. "And maybe it would work better if you try it without being upside down."
"You're the best," Kitagawa sighed, rolling the right side up.
"Right…" I sat back down to resume my work.
It was the autumn season; it had been weeks since our colleges started. Over the time, we had gotten along better with our new friends, Kitagawa and Suka. Tenji…well, I can't really say anything about him, only that we didn't see him much. That was kind of a plus if you would excuse me.
Also, it wasn't just people that grew on us, we were really starting to enjoy our new lifestyles. Sakaki loved her school and her job at the clinic while I…well, if it wasn't for the insane load of homework, I might like it more. And my job? Well, it was way better than my previous ones that's to say. I'm not complaining, it was a good job.
Additionally, living on our own meant we got more time to have some privacy to ourselves…
Today, however, it was just me and Kitagawa who'd decided to drop by as usual. Sakaki was still at work so I was stuck finishing up my notes for next class. And as usual, Kitagawa was being her distracting self…
"Kagura?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you draw?" she asked.
"Um…no, why?"
"Just asking," she trailed her finger across the tabletop. "Of course, if you could draw and see art such as me…"
I remained quiet, a slight blush across my cheeks. I knew where her casual comments were going to lead to…they always went there at one point or other.
"…You'd notice your girlfriend's got the potential…" she sighed, checking the dust. "She's just so pretty…she puts all those ladies you see in the media to shame…"
My cheeks became pinker, I mumbled. "Y-yeah, that's nice of you to compliment Sakaki and all…but…"
"It must be amazing at-" she started but I cut her off, knowing too well what she meant. "That's enough!"
"Oh sorry!" she shook her head in exasperation. "I did it again, didn't I? Really, I don't know where my mind goes…"
"Look, as interesting your talk is…" I exhaled. "I really need to do my homework."
"Right, sorry about that," she nodded understandingly. "I suppose I should go now, huh?"
"Yeah, see you," I said as she got up to leave.
As I listened to her fading footsteps and the light shutting of the door, I returned to my notes. "Let's see…the problem here…"
As I was scribbling my answers; Mayaa pounced onto the table, causing the papers to scatter all over.
"Mayaa!" I scolded, picking him up.
He gave a loud hiss as I dropped him back on the floor, slinking his way down the hall.
"Sheesh, look what mess you've made!" I groaned, kneeling down to pick up the papers.
Mayaa said nothing, simply flicking his tail before he disappeared into the bedroom. I let out a deep sigh. I didn't mean to snap like that but he had been getting on my nerves with his increasing demands coupled with the late studying I had to do.
When I finally got everything put back in place, I heard the door click open and saw Sakaki walk in.
"Sakaki!" I greeted, ready to kiss her.
But I stopped myself when I saw her expression; it was of pain and sadness.
"…Sakaki?" I whispered, carefully stepping up to her.
"Oh Kagura…" she gasped, wrapping her arms tightly around my shoulders as she broke into light sobs.
I said nothing, simply patting her back gently.
Eventually we sat down on our couch, Sakaki sniffling.
"…What's wrong?" I asked quietly.
Sakaki rubbed her tears away, her voice broken. "I-It w-was so a-awful…The…they had to…p-put down…"
She swallowed. "He was so good…"
"Oh Sakaki…" I sighed, caressing her cheek.
"I-I don't understand…" she exhaled. "Why do things like that have to happen?"
"Well…" I lowered my hand; I had to answer this right. "It's just how life goes, we all age then…"
"B-but…he was…so y-young…" Sakaki trembled.
I winced. Not good. I took her hands. "Well, nobody wants to suffer…they gave him what he needed, a peace of mind…"
"…" Sakaki bowed her head.
"Look Sakaki," I tilted her chin up. "You're still helping a lot of other animals, you're making them better and happier, isn't that right?"
"…Yes."
I smiled softly. "You're doing a great job, keep that in mind, Sakaki."
She stared at me silently for a moment then she leaned in, hugging. "…Thank you…"
"No problem," I returned the gesture.
Then we felt a brush against our legs, the cat had returned.
"Mayaa," Sakaki sighed, picking him up. He purred, nuzzling her face and neck.
"Mm," she scratched behind his ears. "We're going to take good care of you."
I chuckled lightly, giving him a pat. "Yeah, we will."
Already I had gotten over the little scene he made previously.
Sakaki raised her head, looking out at the window across from us. "…I got into my dream school…I have my own place…I have a great job…I have both of my favorite people living with me…if only…"
She lowered her head, a deep sigh. I leaned on her shoulder, giving her a comforting hug.
"It's ok, Sakaki…"
--
"Autumn's my favorite season."
Sakaki reached out to catch a fluttering red leaf upon her palm. We were in the park where the momiji - the maple - were shedding their fall coats. Mayaa was with us, freely batting his paws at the falling leaves.
"Oh, really?" I smiled.
"Yes…" Sakaki twirled it between her fingers. "I love how the season changes so vividly with such warm colors before winter comes…to be reborn in spring…it's like watching life in action…"
She let it go, watching it trail off with the cool breeze.
I held her hand as we walked down the sidewalk, Mayaa darting ahead of us. "You're pretty deep, Sakaki."
"…What do you like about autumn?" Sakaki asked.
"Oh?" I looked up. "Well…it's got the best food of the seasons for sure!"
Sakaki giggled, kissing my forehead.
"Enjoying the walk?" said a familiar voice from behind and we turned to see our neighbor.
"Oh, hey Kitagawa!" I greeted her. "I almost forgot about you, where have you been?"
"Oh, just watching life in action," she smiled. "Excuse me, but I couldn't resist listening in," she added when we gave her a look.
"Seriously though," she spread her hands out like she was holding a camera. "This scenery would make a great picture, just look at the light shades!"
Kitagawa was very energetic about art; be it drawing, painting, or sculpting.
"And of course," she faced us. "You two just make it all the better!"
We blushed slightly as she chortled.
We continued our path through the park, just chatting about school and the like while Mayaa cuddled up in Sakaki's arms. As we reached the other end, we noticed there was activity going on at the local high school across the street.
"Ooh, it must be the Culture Fest week," Kitagawa noted the colorful banners on the windows of the building and the stalls in front. "Hey, why don't we give it a look around?"
"Sounds good," I nodded in agreement and we crossed the road to the other side.
As we passed through the gathering crowd; every now and then, some people would point out at Mayaa and even asked if they could touch him. Sakaki's usual responses were headshakes and 'Sorry, no.' She wouldn't let anybody disturb the cat. However, she did allow a couple of children to pet him once. She was friendlier with the kids than the adults.
"Ooh! That place looks good!" Kitagawa pointed to a classroom which had taken the role of a typical café with a haunted theme. "Come on, let's go in."
Once we had seated ourselves, I took a look around at the hanging white ghosts and young waitresses dressed in related costumes such as a witch's or some other. Mayaa pawed curiously at a papier-mâché black cat.
"This brings back memories," I sighed, chuckling.
"Oh…yes…" Sakaki smiled softly.
"Remember our last one?" I leaned on the table. "It had something to do with flowers, didn't it?"
Sakaki nodded, blushing.
"Do tell," Kitagawa smiled, immensely interested.
"Well…" I laughed. "There were so many, Yomi had to go home early because her allergies had began acting up…you see, we had gotten a lot of left over flowers from a nearby florist and we had this bright idea we'd have another café, but this time we'd give away the flowers to every customer group…the flowers would be all nicely arranged and stuff…"
"Go on…" Kitagawa waved her hand.
"Well, let's see…it went like this…"
"Yomi, are you sure you're okay?" I asked concernedly.
Because Yomi looked like a complete mess amongst the roses, she was all teary-eyed and stuffy-nosed.
"Y-yeah…I think…" she sniffed. "Wow, I didn't think we would get this many…"
"It's because we're that awesome!" Tomo suddenly appeared, swinging an arm over her shoulder. Just at that moment, Yomi let out a blast which reminded that of a foghorn.
"Whoa! You're a horror!" Tomo exclaimed. "This is a flower café, not a haunted house, you know!"
"Ah, Tomo…" Yomi glared at her.
She then sneezed again, louder this time, rubbing her nose with her handkerchief afterwards. Beside me, Osaka watched with awe.
"Dang, you're really not looking so good, Yomi," Tomo muttered at her best friend's state.
"Maybe you should go home," I suggested.
"Yeah!" Tomo nodded. "I'll come with you too!"
This coming from Tomo intrigued me a bit, I'd never really known her to care that much for someone else. Then again, Yomi was her friend after all…
"B-but…what about the café?" Yomi replied with worry. "What'll Yukari say?"
"Café, schmcafe!" Tomo huffed. "Health first! You will march back home right now! I'll lead the way!"
"And I'll handle her while you guys do that," I grinned.
"Ah…if you say so…" she sighed. Another loud sneeze, she followed Tomo out of the room.
After they had left, our homeroom teacher returned with a bad case of sniffles too.
"Hey runts!" she yelled out crankily. "I'm turning in early today; you better have a good time with this thing."
Then she pointed at Chiyo. "You! You be the teacher today, you're the class representive, keep an eye on 'em will you?"
With that, she was gone and we were on our own.
"Um…um…" The poor child looked around at us, looking quite flustered. "Err…j-just keep doing what you're doing…"
With that duty noted, I decided I'd go check on Sakaki whom was currently keeping the bouquets in order. When I found her, I noted her new café outfit. In that apron and blue dress ensemble, she reminded me of a pretty farm girl. She also looked really adorable in that single braid of hers.
I saw Sakaki blush. I smiled and continued with my story.
"Hey Sakaki!" I called out to her; she turned to me with a small smile, she was in heaven.
"Kagura," she sighed.
"You look great!" I complimented.
"T-Thank you…" she blushed.
"Mm," I moved closer, looking up at her. "But you know what else it needs?"
I then picked up a white daisy from one of the baskets and reached up, tying the flower into Sakaki's bangs.
"There, the finishing touch!" I grinned.
She touched its petals then smiled at me. "Thank you…"
"You're welcome," I replied, caressing her hand.
It had been about two months since I confessed to her and we were just getting closer still.
For the rest of the day, all went well, our business was doing excellent and we had given away a lot of flowers. Even though Yomi had gone home and Tomo still hadn't come back then, there weren't any problems with the staff. After we had finished cleaning up, I met with Sakaki again.
"Sakaki, that was fun, wasn't it?" I sighed.
"Mm-hmm," she nodded, sniffing the pink roses.
I glanced back, making sure we were alone, then I stole a kiss on Sakaki's lips. She blinked then she smiled and returned the kiss.
"Here, I saved this one for you," I said, holding up a cream rose tinged with peach. "It was the last one of the bunch."
She blushed upon seeing it then tentatively took it. "…Thank you, Kagura…"
"No problem, it's what lovers do," I smiled, giving her another kiss.
After the festival, we went to our usual spot at the old park, just where we always used to go to…
"That was good," Kitagawa said, taking a bite out of her dark chocolate cake.
"Yeah…" I sighed. "We've had great memories together…"
"Want a bite?" Sakaki offered a piece of her vanilla cake.
"Sure," I happily accepted it. "You know what?"
I reached my hand out, just above Sakaki's head. "Looking back…you've really grown since, haven't you?"
She blushed shyly.
"Hey, it's cool," I reassured her, chuckling. "At least that means I'll get to have more out of you…"
Sakaki turned pinker; I blushed the same after I realized what I had said.
"Whoa, whoa, I didn't need to hear that," Kitagawa waved her hand. "…Or did I?"
She grinned goofily as we stared at her.
"You know what?" she suddenly pointed a finger. "We totally should do something together! After all, it's the Hallows' Eve season, isn't it?"
Hallows' Eve…Halloween…from what I heard, it was a pretty big thing in America but I wasn't so sure about it back around here.
"…What do you suggest we do?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Of course, we'll dress up and watch horror movies and tell scary stories, silly!" Kitagawa giggled excitedly. "It'll be just us girls so it'll be fun! There'll even be treats too! Just like a sleepover!"
"Hmm…" I rubbed my chin. "What do you say Sakaki?"
"Um…" she bowed her head. "I-I really don't like scary things…"
"Aw, Sakaki…" I patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, we can skip some of that."
"How droll!" Kitagawa sighed heavily, leaning onto the table. "If you can't handle a couple of ghosts then why bother joining up?"
"Hey!" I turned to her. "Don't count me out just yet! I can take whatever you dish out!"
Sakaki quivered, tapping my hand. "Kagura?"
"Don't worry, if something comes out to get you, I'll be there to protect you," I smiled at her. She didn't seem very comforted by that though.
"That's more like it!" Kitagawa clapped her hands. "Now…first things first…costumes…"
--
The next day, we were in the shopping district where we checked out a store that housed a huge variety of clothes…including ones fit for Culture Fest or as Kitagawa put it, 'Hallows' Eve.' While Sakaki went off on her own, I went with Kitagawa as she looked over her choices.
"So, what's Sakaki going to be?" she asked, looking through the racks.
"I don't know," I shrugged. "We somehow agreed it'd be a surprise."
"Ah, I see," she picked out a black cloak. "Any idea what you want to be?"
"Huh…no, actually…" I mumbled, scratching my head. "I was never really into that sort of thing…so, I don't know…"
"Hmm…" Kitagawa smiled at me so strangely it made me bit uneasy. "I do have a suggestion…"
She then leaned in, whispering into my ear. My eyes widened, I jumped back. "NO WAY!"
"Hey, it's worth a shot," she hunched her shoulders.
"Err…" I looked back to where Sakaki was standing. I made up my mind.
"…Okay, show me," I returned to Kitagawa.
She broke into hysterics. She'd definitely make a good witch.
--
Before we knew it, the end of October had come and it was about time for Kitagawa's little party for Halloween. And it wouldn't just be us three; Suka was also coming over with movie choices suitable for this night.
"Okay, remember, don't be late!" Kitagawa (already in her black witch's hat and robe) reminded us before going back to her own apartment. "Or I might just have to check on you to make sure!"
"We'll be there," I promised, shutting the door after her.
"…It seems so brooding out…" Sakaki sighed, staring at the dark gray clouds outside.
"Hey, it'll be fine," I hugged her. "I'll be there too, you know."
"Still…"
"Why don't you get dressed?" I gently pushed her on. "I'll take the living room."
"Okay."
As she disappeared into the bedroom, I took a bag from the closet where my costume choice had been hidden away.
"Gosh…this is going to feel so weird…" I muttered.
Minutes later, Sakaki came out of her room. "Kagura?"
She was wearing a type of outfit you'd see in a Matrix movie (which, by way, is one of my favorite films); a black coat over a matching sweater and pants with knee-length boots and sunglasses. No doubt Kitagawa suggested this to her too…well, I wasn't complaining. She looked…
"You look hot!" I exclaimed.
She turned to me, removing her glasses. At that moment, her face turned the brightest red I'd ever seen. Here I was, wearing an outfit that Kitagawa so assured me that Sakaki would so love.
I was wearing a very soft brown sweater which tastefully exposed my shoulders with matching tight pants. That's not all; I had on cat ears and a tail. And a collar, can you believe that?
I was a cat-girl.
Watching Sakaki, I think my costume had the bigger impact than hers did. Sakaki was shaking, at loss for words.
"…Well? Say something!" I huffed, not really pleased with my clothes.
"Y-Y-you're r-r-really c-c-cute…" Sakaki stuttered madly.
"Ah…thanks…" I blushed slightly. "Kitagawa suggested this to me."
"S-S-she m-made t-the r-r-right c-choice…"
I exhaled. "Snap out of it, Sakaki! It's just me! SO what if I'm wearing cat ears and tail?"
"Y-you have a collar too…" Sakaki whispered.
Then she walked towards to me, letting the coat fall off her. I twitched, bit nervous of what she might be intending. I don't know why, but maybe that's the feeling that gray cat gets…
She paused in front of me then reached a hand out. She hesitated for a moment then she began stroking my hair and ears.
"Wow…they're soft…" she mumbled.
"Well…I did shower this afternoon…" I muttered, scratching my neck. The collar was itchy. "Um…the party?"
She then leaned in, sniffing. "You smell good too…is that cinnamon?"
Sakaki then embraced me tightly, I blushed furiously.
Great, just great, your suggestion worked out far too well, what do you have to say for that, Kitagawa?
--
There was a knock on Kitagawa's door and she hurried to answer it.
"Yes?" she opened it up to see Suka with a bag of movie videos and DVDs. "Ah, you made it!"
"Of course I did," she smiled, stepping inside. "I can't wait to watch those!"
She then looked around. "Sakaki and Kagura in yet?"
"No…" Kitagawa shook her head. "I believe they're just changing clothes at the moment."
"Ah…okay…" Suka nodded slowly then she spied a tray of caramel-dipped apples on the counter.
"OH! THEY LOOK SO TASTY!" she squealed. She'd always been a sucker for sweets.
Kitagawa giggled, wagging her finger. "No, no, not yet till everybody's here…"
"Aw…" Suka looked at the treats sadly.
It was then Kitagawa noted something; Suka was in a simple blue/white jacket with dark jeans.
"Hey…why don't you have a costume on?" she muttered, crossing her arms. "That was one part of the whole idea for this party!"
"Eh?" Suka blinked then smiled weakly. "Oh, no, no…I don't do costumes…"
"This just won't do!" Kitagawa frowned then she reached into the nearby closet. "Let's see…"
Suka's eyes widened. "NOononononono!!"
"Come on!" Kitagawa smiled, holding up a pair of bunny ears. "Just ears, nothing much…"
"No!" Suka said firmly, backing up against the wall. "I'm not going to degrade myself! I may be short but I got dignity!"
But she was soon overpowered despite the good fight she put up, Kitagawa just wouldn't take a 'no' for an answer.
She sat grumbling on the couch while Kitagawa still smiled at her. "There, that wasn't so bad, now was it?"
"This is far worse than any horror movie I'll ever see…" Suka sighed, bowing her head.
"You still look cute!" Kitagawa piped up then she looked back at the door. "Hmm…I wonder why it's taking them so long?"
"How should I know?" Suka tilted her head, the bunny ears flopping over her face which just annoyed her more.
"Maybe we should check…" Kitagawa whispered.
And so both went up to the door of our apartment but they didn't enter. Rather, Kitagawa leaned in, her ear to the door. She then smiled. "Ah, I see…"
"What? What is it?" Suka asked.
"Nothing, Sakaki's just playing with her cat," Kitagawa giggled which prompted a confused look from Suka. "You want to watch the movies now?"
"Do I ever!"
--
"Kagura…" Sakaki slid an arm over my torso, nuzzling.
"Sakaki…" I sighed, returning the embrace.
"You make a good kitty…" she sighed, ruffling my hair.
I blushed. "M-maybe…but let's not make this a habit, okay?"
Just then the darkness flashed with light followed by a rumble of thunder.
"Ah…it's stormy still…" I exhaled, resting my head on Sakaki's chest.
I heard her whimper, I looked up in concern. "Sakaki, you okay?"
She quavered, hugging more closely. "…Don't like thunderstorms…"
"Aw, it's okay," I caressed her back. "I'm here for you, remember?"
"…" she buried her face into my shoulder, smiling a bit. "You really know how to comfort someone…"
"Mm…" I hugged her. "I'm your lover."